Gov't shutdown could leave single mom, kids, homeless

Kelly Brown and her family stand outside the home she was planning to buy at 121 N. Franklin St. in Boyertown before the US Government shut down and ruined her plans to obtain a mortgage.
Photo by Kevin Hoffman, The Mercury

BOYERTOWN — Kelly Brown was all set.

With a pre-approved mortgage through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she had an agreement on a house in Boyertown where she could move with the four children for whom she has full custody.

Currently in an apartment, it would be the first house Brown, 44, would have since she lost her home in a divorce settlement seven years ago.

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Then the government shutdown froze her mortgage. And over the weekend, the home’s seller notified Brown she couldn’t wait any longer.

With the agreement in place before the shutdown, Brown and her own real estate agent, Jack Dolan, of Keller Williams, began putting money into the home through appraisals, deposits and improvements such as the removal of asbestos.

“We thought, of course the government won’t shut down,” Brown said.

As September ended, the shutdown did indeed occur, which put the pre-approved mortgage through the Department of Agriculture on hold.

Brown continued forward hoping the shutdown wouldn’t affect her move out of her apartment in Upper Frederick, where she’d given notice prior to the shutdown.

She’ll have to be out of the apartment she shared with her sons, Oliver, 17, Noah, 14, and 9-year-old twins Duncan and Isabella, by Nov. 2.

The settlement on the home in Boyertown was scheduled for Oct. 25.

“We were moving ahead thinking ‘the shutdown is going to end. The shutdown is going to end,’” Brown said.

Then, with the mortgage still frozen and no clear resolution to the shutdown in sight, the seller notified Brown through Zuber Realty, their Realtor, that they couldn’t wait any longer and were going to move ahead with attempting to sell the house to someone else.

“Over the weekend, they said they would no longer give us any time,” Brown said. “They said they’d sell the house to somebody else, knowing all the money we had already paid and it was through no fault of my own.”

Richard A. Zuber, owner of Zuber Realty, said the seller couldn’t hold the house out any longer without getting a return on the property.

Zuber said the decision rested with the seller, who intends to stay open to selling to Brown if no buyer is found once the shutdown ends.

“We definitely have sympathy because it’s not their fault,” Zuber said. “This all hangs on the federal government.”

Brown said Dolan suggested attempting to rent the house until the shutdown was over but the seller was not in favor of that.

At this point, Brown is concerned that she might not have a place to live with her family come Nov. 2. She has no relatives in the area and now has to brainstorm.

“I work for the (Montgomery County) Office of Children and Youth as a caseworker,” Brown said. “It’s kind of ironic because this is what I do. I help families that have neglect or abuse of children and help them with services to find housing.”

An additional concern is that her son, Oliver, is applying to colleges now and expecting acceptance letters.

“What’s going to happen with that?” she said. “Where are we going to have a mailbox?”

Serving as a classroom aide in the Pottstown School District while she got her master’s degree to become a social worker, Brown said she’s “devastated” after all the work she put in.

About the Author

Frank Otto is a general assignment reporter covering Phoenixville, Limerick and Spring-Ford schools in addition to features and spot news. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Otto moonlights with the sports department on occasion. Reach the author at fotto@pottsmerc.com
or follow Frank on Twitter: @fottojourno.